Author name: Maureen Mahoney Hill, CFRE

Having gift acceptance policies in place is best practice. But it can take a lot of time to draft policies, and as a fundraiser, you are already overwhelmed with things on your to-do list. Taking policies to your board for approval can lead to long and sometimes unproductive discussions about minute issues in the fundraising […]

 Over the years there has been a lot of debate around whether a feasibility study is needed prior to launching a campaign. There are fundraising consultants who advise their clients against conducting a study – because of the cost, the time involved and the fact that regardless of what the study finds they need to

Donor stewardship practices have become much more intentional, strategic and focused. That’s the good news. But according to the most recent report from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP), overall donor retention rates – which have hovered between 40% and 45% for the last 10 years – are dropping. FEP results also show that donors at

Do you feel like you are being pulled in too many directions? Not sure how to prioritize your fundraising efforts or evaluate for potential success? Already worried about next year’s end of year campaign? Now is the time for you to invest in creating a fundraising plan for your nonprofit organization. Research has shown that

(AUTHOR’S NOTE: I originally wrote this five years ago, but I never did anything with it. It just felt good to get my thoughts and feelings out on paper. My dad died in April and recently there has been news of medical research indicating that the first, often undetected, sign of cognitive decline related to

In trainings for nonprofit board members, I often point out that boards have just one very critical role – to ensure the organization’s future. The way boards do that is through good governance and fundraising. Of course, my board trainings typically focus on the role of the board in fundraising, but good governance is an

More than 10 years ago, the study Underdeveloped conducted by CompassPoint and the Evelyn and Walter Hass, Jr. Fund, made headlines by focusing attention on the high turnover rate in fundraising staff for nonprofit organizations and the impact it has on organizations’ ability to raise money to support their missions. Even before the Great Resignation

Much attention has been paid to the recent news from Giving USA that showed a decline in giving. While national statistics of the type shared by Giving USA are useful for tracking trends and planning strategies, the media often spins an unnecessarily dramatic response. This year it has been all doom and gloom. Rather than